Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 3 – Section 12
3. Mark and hold a difference betweene these things; the equity of Mr B.law and exequution: between established truths generally, and personall errors of some: between soundnes of doctrine, and erronious application: between substance, & circūstance: the maner, & the matter: between the very being of a thing, and the wel being thereof: between worship, and conveniency: between a commaundement, and a commaundement to thee: between lawfulnes, and expediency: and between that which is given absolutely, or in some respect.Answ.
The sixt and 7. rule in the former rank (being the same in substance) might well have been bound vp in the same bundle with this, had not the authour labored to supply that in the number of his counsayls, which is wanting in their weight.
But to the point. There is a difference indeed to be held betwixt the lawes of the Church of England, with the ordinances and doctrines by law established, and the personall exequutions, excercises, & applicatiōs of thē; & the difference is betwixt evil, & worse: & the worse of the twayne by far I deem the lawes & ordinances with sundry of the doctrines. For though the whole cariage of the courts miscalled-spirituall, be most corrupt, & abhominable, and though the pulpits be made by very many (especially in the greatest places (the stages of vanity, falsehood, and slaunder, so that as the Prophet sayd, *Mich. 1. 5.what is the wickednes of Iacob? Is not Samaria? And what ar the high places of Iuda? Is not Ierusalē? so may we say what is the sink of all brybery, and extortion? Is not the Consistory? What is the theater of carnall vanity? Is not the pulpit? Yet in truth the the lawes are worse then those which exequute them, and the ordinances by them established then those which minister them.
Let but the last Canons (which are as well the lawes and doctrine of the Church of England, as the Canons of the counsel of Trent are the lawes and doctrine of the Church of Rome) be severely and sincerely exequuted as becomes the lawes of the kingdom of Christ, the Church all in the land having any feare of God, would fynd and complayne that their bondage were increased, as was the bondage of the Israelites vnderunder the Egyptians. Exo. 5.
But what though there were neyther Statute nor Canon law enacted, for the confusion in the assemblyes collected and consisting of all the parish inhabitants, be they Atheists, adulterers, blasphemers and how evill not? what though no law ecclesiasticall or civil did cōfirm the transcendent power of the Bishops & Archbishops for the placing and displacing of Ministers, for the thrusting out and receiving in, both of Ministers and people, and so f…r innumerable other corruptions? Yet these things being vniversally practised in the land, the Church were nothing at all the more pure, onelyonly it had the more liberty of reformation, which now by the lawes and cannons, as by iron barres, is shut out.
What Statute or Canon was there that the Corinthians should suffer amongst them the incestuous person vnreformed? And yet for so doing this †Cor. 5. 6.litle leven levens the whole lump.
What Parliament or Convocation-house amongst the Galathians had decreed the mingling of circumcision with the gospell? And yet for so doing they are charged by the Apostle to be *Gal. 1. 6.removed or turned away to another gospell.
By what law w…s the mistery of iniquity confirmed? Or Antichrists cōming into the world agreed vpō in the Apostles tyme? And yet “2 Ths. 2. 7.the mistery of iniquity then wrought; and many Antichrists were then †1 Ioh. 2. 1…come into the world. And yet these mischeifs being found in the Churches in the Apostles tymes, were as wel imputed vntounto thē, as if a thousand Parliaments & Convocations had ratified them.
To proceed. It is also true which is further counsayled, that a difference must be held betwixt substance & circumstance; betwixt the manner and the matter; betwixt the being and well being of a thing; and so of the rest: but withall it must be observed that the Lord hath in his word, as wel appoynted the manner how he wil have things done, as the things themselves, and that even circumstances prescribed and determined by the Lord, are of that force, not only to deface the welbeing, but to overturn the true being of Gods worship.
The Lord commaunded the Israelites by Moses to bring they… sacrifices and oblations to the place which for that purpose he would chuse and there to offer them, Deut. 12. 5. 6.
And did not all offerings brought to any other place (without speciall dispensation) stink in his nostrels? And yet this was but a circumstance of place.
And wherein stands the breach of the fourth commaundemēt but in a circumstance of tyme? Lastly, what was the transgression of Vzziah the King, for which God stroke him with leprosy, but a personall aberratiō, a sinne in the circumstance of person, for that he being no Preist, would adventure to offer incense at the Altar. 2. Chr. 26. 16. 17. 18. 19.
Of the same nature was the sinne of Corah Dathan & Abiram, merely circumstantiall: Dathan and Abiram being of a wrong tribe, and Corah of a wrong family and yet for that theyr rebellion, the earth by Gods judgment opened her mouth, and swallowed vp both them and theyrs. Numb. 16. 1. 2. 32.
And for the well being and right ordering of good things, the Lord as well requireth it, as the things themselves. He hath not left in the hands of the Church a rude matter to frame after her owne fashion, but with the matter he hath also appoynted the manner and form wherein all things must be done.
When Moses vnderunder the law was to make the Tabernacle, the Lord did not set him out the matter and stuffe whereon to make it, and so left the manner and form… to his pleasure and discretion, but appoynted the one as well as the other; and if he had framed it, or any thing about it after any other fashion then according to the pattern shewed him in the mount, he had done abhominably in the sight of the Lord. Exo. 25. 3-40. &c. and 26. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. &c. Hebr. 8. 5. When the Ark of God was to be removed vponupon occasion, the Preists were to cover it, that no hand might touch it, and so to carry it vponupon their shoulders to the place of rest. Numb. 4. 11. 15. Deut. 3. 19.
Now this order of the Lord was violated, in the bringing of it out of the house of Abinadab vncovered and vponupon a cart, after the fashion of the Egyptians, 1 Sam. 8. 7. 8. And the breach of this order the Lord punished very severely, making a breach vponupon Vzzah the Preist for touching the Ark, which was his personall sinne, and for carrying it vponupon the cart, which sinne was common to the rest of the Preists with him; he was striken dead by the hand of God in the same place. 2 Sam. 6.
Now both this and the former examples are left to warne vsus to take he…d, that we presume not against the Lord in the least ceremony or circumstāce, neyther make any transgression small in our eyes, or the eyes of others, as the manner of too many is. But let vsus rather learne to feare before the Highest whose eyes are pure, & can indure none iniquity; and let vsus labour to keepe our hearts tender agaynst all sinne, even agaynst that which seemeth the least; knowing that if the Lord should let Satan loose vponupon vsus, to presse our consciences, & should withdraw his comforts from vsus in our temptations, the least sinne would prove a burden vntollerable.
4 Use the present good which thou mayest enioy to the vtmost, and Mr B.an experienced good before thou doest trouble thyselfe to seek for a supposed better good, vntryed, which thou enioyest not.
We must so enioy experienced good things, as we stock not ourAnsw. selves in respect of other things, as yet vntryed. We may not stint or circumscribe eyther our knowledg, or fayth, or obedience, within streyter bounds then the whole revealed will of God, in the knowledge, & obedience wherof we must dayly encrease & edify our selves; much lesse must we suffer our selves to be stripped of any liberty which Christ our Lord hath purchased for vsus, and given vsus to vse for our good; Gal 5. 1.
And here (as I take it) comes in the …ase of many hundreds in the Church of England, who what good they may enioy (that is safely enjoy or without any great bodily daunger,) that they vse very fully. Where the wayes of Christ ly open for them, by the authority of men, & where they may walk safely with good leave, there they walk very vprightly, and that a round pace; but when the commaundements of Christ are as it were hedged vp withCant. 1. 6. thrones, by mens prohibitions, there they fowly † step a syde, and pitch theyr tents by the flocks of his fellowes.
There are many in the land very zealous & severe in all the d… ties of the second table, and in the private and personal duties of the first table, and in such publick duties also as the times wil bear, and in those respects may say as Iehu did to Iehonadab, *2 King. …0. 15.see the ze… which I have for the house of the Lord: but consider the same persons i… their Communion, Leyturgy, Ministery and government, & there seemeth a most monstrous composition. These things in the same men do agree as ill as the Ark of God & Dagon in the same house. We ought in no case to share our service betwixt Christ and Antichrist, nor to stock ourselves in any the least parts of the revealed will of God, but must grow and increase in the whole body of obedience, and all the parts thereof; otherwise (as in the naturall body if one part grow and not an other) the effect wilbe monstrous. Ezek. 18. 11. 12. Iam. 2. 10. Deut. 8. 1.
The 5. 6. & 7. precept I pretermit: the 8. followeth.
8. Never praesume to reforme others, before thou hast w… Mr Ber.ordered thy self. &c.
True zeal, it is certayn, ever beginnes at home, and gives mor… Answ.libertie unto other men then it dares assume unto it self. And there is nothing more true or necessary to be considered, then that every man ought to order himself and his own stepps first. That is good & the best, but not all. For if by Gods commandement we ought to †Exod. 23. ….bring back our enemies ox or asse that strayeth, how much more to bring into order our brothers soul & body wandring in by pathes?
And here Mr Bernard brings to mind a practise vsuall with many of the preachers in their sermons. They wil advance prayer, viz, their service book; that they may extenuate preaching; cōmend peace, that they may smother truth; plead much for censures due to be given him, that they may deteyne from God his due; and every where send men back into themselves, that they may keep thē from looking vponupon others, and so make them carelesse of such duties towards their brethren, as Gods word bindes them unto. Levi…. 19. 17. 1 Thes. 5. 14. As though the cōmandements of God were opposite one to another, and could not stand together, wheras they are all most holy and good, and all helpful one to another, and all to be practised in their places; whether they concerne our selves or our brethren. They of the one sort ought to be done, and they of the other not to be left vndone.
The 9. 10. and 11. Rule I acknowledge without exception.
12. Whomsoever thou doest see to do a misse, iudge it not to be Mr. Bern.of wilfulnes, but eyther of ignorance, and so offer to informe them; or of infirmity, and so pitty them, and pray for them. Be charitable, &c.
This Rule as it is not vniversally true, for we may oft tymes discernAnsw. in mens both words and actions, wilfull and wayward obstinacy, and so may iudge of them, 1 Tim. 6. 5. Tit. 3. 10. 11: so is it ill practised by him that gives it. For amongst other sinns wherewith he loadeth he Separists in his book, †Pag. 65.wilfull obstinacy in their schism…, is one.
Here full charitably he advertiseth to iudge no man, wilfull in his …inn, & yet there he himself so iudgeth vsus: eyther excluding vsus from the common libertyes of mankynde, as wormes and no men; or himself following the steps of his forefathers, in *Mat. 23▪ 4.laying heavy burdens vponupon other mens shoulders, which himself will not touch with the least finger.
Agaynst the 13. direction, I have not to oppose, and therefore passe to the 14. and last, touching things indifferent; by which this authour makes way into many an impertinent, & indigested consideration. The rule followeth.